Contact Light
by Blaidd Nine
Summary: A US Marine from 1945 is transported to an alternate future, the Mass Effect Universe. What happens as he lives through a different timeline filled with the products of an old Earth imagination? How would he deal being inserted in another war on a much more massive scale? How much would things change? Maybe the answer is this. Chapter 4: Any Bonds Today?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This is an Alternate Universe work that I have managed to think up as I read through various pieces that dealt with OCs. Story will follow and hopefully span throughout the events of the trilogy. Some creative liberty will be taken in order to make my storytelling somewhat consistent, but other than that, I will stay true to the game's canon and lore as much as possible. You'll know it when I'm deviating, trust me. Dialogue will be switched around, as to hopefully make it more immersing and less of a read-through of what you already know and probably memorised from the game if you played it as much as I did. I will be using a Custom/Female Paragon(sorta)/Sentinel/Spacer/Sole Survivor with the name and rank of Commander Leanna Shepard. The WWII section is a heavily fictionalised battle on a ridge, based on multiple sources that I have come across. I apologise in advance for any inconsistency I make. Thank you for reading this note and hopefully we can share a reader/writer relationship. Cheers!

* * *

**_Contact Light_**

**_Iceberg_**

**Okinawa, 1945**

Another bullet snapped at the ashen grey rock that he was facing. He stayed crouching, leaning against a porous boulder that served as his cover, and nearly sitting down in the wet earth beneath him. He hasn't been dry in days, though he lost count and didn't bother anymore. The monsoon continued to pour down on his helmet, a fact that he no longer cared for. He gripped his M1 Garand firmly when he eventually decided to simply sit down rather than tire himself out trying to avoid the ground. He cringed when he felt the ground soften, followed by mentally cursing at the distant hidden sniper trying to aggravate their forward position.

"We've been soaked for days. Don't bother keeping your dungarees out of the mud." A voice called out.

Private First Class James Vaccarelli scoffed mockingly in response. His buddy, PFC Paul McIntyre was right by all accounts.

The most he's been dry recently was when he was aboard a ship on the way to the next island in their campaign, with that place being the Japanese soil he's on right now. He then realised that this was the first time he ever smiled or laughed since he landed in Okinawa. Ever since he started in Peleliu, things have deteriorated steadily. He thought he'd been to hell over and over as he survived through the assault on that island. He felt remorse when he shot down an Imperial Japanese soldier for the first time, couldn't have been older than twenty; he felt the same after the second, then the third. He felt the same way every time a soldier went down by the means of his rifle; until his friends died in gruesome ways one after the other, through banzai charges, booby trapping of dead allies, and then in groups by machine gun fire, artillery, and mortar explosions.

No matter how demonised the enemy was, James still thought that they were humans. It struck him sometimes that the people he shot and killed had wives, girlfriends, and children, same as the Marines that were with him. It struck him the worst when he ran over to check a fleeing soldier that he fired at, going over his satchel only to find a journal written in Japanese, with a photo of the person he killed with his family, smiling. Inside the satchel was a ragged doll, made by hand due to the quality, no doubt made by the wife or the daughter. Later on, he burned all of the things inside the dead soldier's satchel, not knowing whether he did it out of respect or shame. He refused to keep the Nambu pistol he came across despite the price it could fetch by selling it to a collector.

That was in Peleliu. Now, he had no feelings against ending the life of an enemy. They took advantage of people like him, the ones that showed kindness. He nearly got killed when he tried to help an unarmed, surrendering soldier, only for him to overpower and attempt to impale him with a knife. The next soldier that waved a white flag, which is a rarity in itself due to the nature of the Imperial Japanese Army, was gunned down by him through his helmet and didn't feel any emotion as he watched the brain matter pool on the dirt. He felt nothing when he watched a fellow Marine shoot an aging Japanese soldier.

James poked his head over the boulder, trying to get a visual on what is happening on the other side of the ridge. He was greeted with the sight of a rifle round hitting the surface a few centimetres from his face. He quickly ducked down in reaction and spat out the rock bits that flew into his mouth. Although it wasn't the closest he's ever been to being shot, the dash through an airfield in Peleliu while under fire being the top of the list, it prompted him to rethink his situation. _I'm going to die here_, he thought. When a mortar round exploded a few metres away from him, he was saying it out loud. "I'm going to die here, in a muddy hole. This is it, isn't it? "

"Yeah? Well, if we'd still be here for another month, I think we'd all prefer to die instead!" McIntyre chimed. A bunch of others laughed at the remark.

James could see the logic behind the joke. He looked around and saw it. He saw how the position he was in was starting to resemble the Great War. They were mired in filth and mud. They were sleeping and huddled in a land that's part sewage and part graveyard. Maggot-ridden corpses of Japanese soldiers and American troops are left to rot in the open; nothing more than uniformed decaying half buried bodies in the mud. The rain tortured the sodden ridge, amplifying the stench of death and caused injured, untended wounds to fester. One could dig a handful of soil or check their pockets and find it filled with maggots and blood. Supplies were low. James himself hasn't slept in two days and hasn't drunk any clean water for a full twenty-four hours. He's exhausted to the extremes.

Another mortar landed around their vicinity. "I think they're zeroing in on us." Someone from the rear muttered.

"I think they already did. They're just waiting for us to get out of these rocks so they could mow us down with that MG nest. I want to shoot that prick." James replied, adjusting himself on the mud. He turned to look at McIntyre who was holding a smirk. "What?" He asks him.

"Remind us again, Vaccarelli, why are you fighting the people of your mother?" McIntyre jokingly asked in an attempt to defuse the situation with some light-hearted humour. This garnered a few chuckles from everyone.

"Because of these stupid pricks, my mother got sent to an internment camp. My father had to go around and pretend that they weren't married. To protect my sister, he says. I don't know how it worked, but it did. And get a load of this, he managed to change documents and all, hide my Japanese heritage, but if this war ends, the marriage would be back to normal. Yeah, before you ask, I know, I took on my father's side. You wouldn't know I have a Japanese mother until I tell you. But yeah, said he knew some guys, probably with the Italian mob, I don't know," He said, an air of joking accompanied his last sentence.

"I enlisted after." He paused to look at his buddies' faces. "I didn't want to miss out on the war." James explained, half-laughing. Everyone else snickered.

As if by cue to hamper their new-found amusement, the monsoon strengthened and the tiny frequent droplets turned into heavy rain. Thunder and lightning accompanied the explosions that lulled them into awareness. James thought about peeking over the boulder once more, but ultimately deciding against it. Someone tapped his shoulder and offered him a pack of Lucky Strikes with one stick left. He was going to decline it, yet chose to keep the remaining cigarette, slipping it in his front pocket. His tired eyes stared at the now empty packet, slowly crumpling it as he attempted to distance himself from the war zone. An image of a freshly cooked steak was popping up in his mind when he was interrupted, distracted by someone relating a story about his girlfriend stateside. _Anything to pass the time on this ridge, I guess._ It continued, anyone who was willing to share a relationship story told theirs, to remember what it was like back home, to recall their flings during liberty, or simply for the sake of holding on to their hopes. Once more, the topic was directed to James.

"Ready for a kicker? Vaccarelli has one heart-breaking story. You mind sharing it, bud? I think it's 'bout time that everyone knew about your last gal." McIntyre directed at James, nodding to nudge him to share.

"It's not so happy, I'm telling you."

"We can handle not happy. Come on, James, come on. Come on, you said you would back at the ship."

"Alright, man, if you say so."

James placed his weapon next to him, cracked his hands and tried to warm them up. "So, this was a day before I went to boot camp…" He trailed off, his mind re-imagining the story as he told the rest his tale. His voice the only thing the Marines listened to as they ignored the bombardment that kept going.

_A blue neon light shone down his face, drink of whiskey gripped in his right hand as he leaned his elbows on the bar. The jazz band is playing a slow song while couples danced on the dance floor, it ends, a piano picks up the music and the people continue twirling and dancing to the now more melancholy track. He sips, as he turns around to face the dance floor. The warmth of the alcohol subsides as he sees her. She wore a green dress, her hair up in a bun, her face covered with delicate makeup._

_She catches his gaze, her eyes locking on his face, her cocktail in left hand as she continued to socialise with whoever was in front of her. She looks up again and attempted to smile at him. He smiles back weakly as he raises his drink from a distance. She raises hers in response. He looks different, his face showed slight distress or worry. His suit was a bit worn, his shoes covered in some grime._

_The room seemingly slowed down as she started to approach him, the piano piece droning out as he started to hear the clicking of her heels. Everything froze in his mind as she opens her mouth, "Hi, James, how have you been?"_

_A rush of thoughts enters his head at the mere sound of her voice. He shakes his drink as he takes another sip. "I've been great. What about you?"_

_"Great, too. Didn't expect you at this joint, though. Nice to see you." She responds, smiling once more. "Here for any particular reason?" She asks._

_"I enlisted with the Marines. Heading to boot camp very soon. Thought I'd enjoy a drink before I go." He said, straightening up his back on his stool._

_There was a silence for a while as she glances to see his face again in detail. The piano piece ends as she shows a look of concern. "Going off to fight the war like everyone else, huh?" She light-heartedly asked. "It was great seeing you here. Take care of yourself… okay?" She reaches to caress his arm._

_Images of the two of them instinctively invaded his mind, the smell of her perfume further pushing memories into his head. He tries, attempts, to pull them aside, but fails. He pictures her hands in his as she stood mere inches away. _

_ "Elaine, are you ready to leave?" A man to his right asks out loud, he closes the distance and takes her arm. "Mind introducing me to..?"_

_"Oh, he's James. My childhood friend." She looks at James with an expression of pride._

_"And also ex-boyfriend if I remember. So you're him, huh? What are you up to nowadays, champ?" He asked him with an amused, mocking tone._

_James finally manages to get his eyes away from Elaine, his sight taking notice of her left hand. Her ring finger, which now had a sparkling diamond. "Uh, I'm enlisting. Marines. Leaving soon, actually." _

_Elaine turns to look at her boyfriend, who's insulting face ceased as he replies, "Damn. Well, good luck, pal." He tried to be sincere. "Listen, we really gotta run. If you come back, drinks are on me, paley." His arm subtly tugged on Elaine's, causing the couple to start moving to the door._

_With his whiskey in hand, he refuses to look away as they walk to the exit. The big jazz band starts playing again, another slow song. James' stomach turns, a chilling sensation shoots up his spine, his skin feels cold. A few paces out from the door, she turns to see James again, she mouths, "I'm sorry," before her face vanishes into the street. He's about to mouth something in return, but ends up with his lips parted, hanging open._

_"Another one, if you mind." James turns around as he says to the bartender who watched the whole thing._

_It didn't take longer than a moment for the next glass to be on the counter. "On the house, chief. Who was she?" The bartender asks innocently._

_"Someone who promised to be my fiancée since junior high. Things happened and here we are." James explained he downed the drink. "Didn't expect myself to feel something. I thought I was over her."_

_The bartender looks at James with sympathy. "And now you're about to head off to war. Next one's on the house again, if you want to take it up." He says, preparing another drink. "Happened to me before I got on the boat to England years before. You'll be alright, chief."_

_"Yeah. Thanks, for the drink."_

_"No worries, kid."_

"And that was it. That's the last I've seen her. I thought about writing to her—" A mortar round landed pretty close, mud kicked up and landed on some of the troops. "I'm not sure I'd like to speak to her again. I don't want to be in the way with whatever those two have."

The whole ridge seemingly became quiet, absorbing the details of James' story. Some of them sympathised, for they experienced abandonment as well when they revealed that they're off to fight in the Pacific. James felt guilty for a second, thinking he diminished the morale, but assured himself that it's already at the lowest it could possibly be. He picks up his rifle, checking the sights, making sure that it's not splattered by mud. McIntyre taps his shoulder, thinking it was to get his attention, but finding out it's to reassure him it's alright. James nods in response, accepting what happened.

The rain continued to pour as the bombardment started to cease. Down the line, a couple of Marines started fidgeting for something in their soaked satchels or knife sheathes, James was about to ask why when he heard the word getting passed down.

"Hey! Fix bayonets! Load up!"

He immediately reached for his knife sheathe, the chilling grip of the handle bit his clammy hands as he attached the bayonet in one quick movement. He checked his bandoliers, seeing if he had extra ammunition. He sat up, his ankles supporting his buttocks as leaned up against the boulder. They waited; they waited for the enemy artillery to stop for more than five minutes. James' body started to uncontrollably tense up, as he positioned himself to prepare for the upcoming assault down the riverbed and up the opposite ridge. The whole line was silent. There was nothing audible except for the tapping of the raindrops on solid surfaces and the faint voices of Japanese soldiers on the other side. He could hear movement and the slight sound of clinking, which he assumed was a machine gun position being moved.

The five minutes have passed. Their radioman relayed the coordinates. It was the Allies' turn to bombard the enemy ridge.

Artillery soared over their heads as the rounds made contact with the ground that they're now looking at. It continued steadily for thirty seconds, the spectacular sight of ordnance being dropped was traded for the cries of pain coming from the Japanese troops. A hut was up in flames, appearing to inextinguishable by the monsoon. A breath of hope entered their bodies as they waited once more, this time for the confirmation.

"Over the ridge, go! Go!"

The Marines pushed forward, taking advantage of their artillery's after effect. Their rifles fired on multiple dazed targets as they assaulted down the slope to the river bed. James climbed over his cover and dashed downhill with his rifle at the ready, his eyes darting around, looking for a potential target. McIntyre was ahead of him by a few feet. James kept his footing as the sodden ground beneath his feet started to give way. He stepped on an arm protruding out of the mud, but kept going. Then he heard the Japanese military start to fire back, their Arisaka rifles thundered as they aimed at the advancing American troops. He kept moving down and forward, his eyes trained on a slab of granite that could be used as cover. McIntyre reached it first, with James hitting the solid block a second later. It was lucky timing, for the machine gun nest became active once more as another enemy soldier manned it and with one full burst lasting at least ten rounds squeezed off, James saw the bodies of five friendlies fall to the vile, maggot-ridden riverbed. One was still alive and conscious, clutching his thigh that bled profusely, bawling in pain, but cut off when another burst of machine gun fire ended his life. "Jesus Christ!" McIntyre uttered as he watched the same death.

An enemy mortar round whistled in the air before landing on a group of advancing troops, turning them into a mix of brown and red splatter that rained down on the mud. "We have to move, slick!" McIntyre tells James, who nods in agreement.

They both move out of their cover, dashing once more, this time uphill, as they fired on one Japanese soldier committing a Banzai attack. The sight never failed to disturb his mind, the rushing enemy hit by at least eight rounds from their rifles still attempting to kill an American. James thought the Japanese soldiers were lower than dirt now, but he can't help to be terrified and be in awe at their sheer willpower to kill.

As they kept pushing upwards, James fired off the last rounds in his Garand to take down two soldiers who were reloading their rifles. The thunder and lightning seemed to dance along to the slaughter, increasingly getting frequent, with one bolt hitting a nearby palm tree. He thought about reloading on the run, but decided to hold it off until he reached another safe cover. That moment wouldn't happen, however. On the left corner of his eye, he watched the machine gun post turn its barrels on his path and his world slowed down as he waited for the inevitable. His body shifted towards the nest, his right hand letting go of his rifle's grip as he started to reach for his M1911.

With one burst, he saw McIntyre get shot three times before the line of fire quickly shifted down. He felt the searing pain as a round pierced his chest, dropping his rifle and pistol as he reacted to the trauma. James fell backwards to the ground, rolling down the slope as he clutched his chest. He was looking at the sky when he closed his eyes, grimacing in pain. He turned his head to his right, uphill, to see if anyone else was hit by the machine gun's burst. McIntyre was still, his dead-looking body leaked blood, but James can still see his chest rising up and down. He wanted to yell something out to him, but his senses started to fade. A lightning bolt touched the ground again, this time a mere few feet away from James. "Corpsman..." He weakly said.

He started to look at the sky as he accepted his fate when he noticed something swirling in the clouds, a vortex which seemed to _suck the rain into it._ The sky started to distort itself around the vortex, the clouds started to shift and bend unnatural ways as they passed the darkened hole. He thought he was just having near-death hallucinations when a flash of light enveloped his eyesight. _This is it, I'm dead._

The Americans that witnessed James' body vanish into nothingness paused for a moment, while the Japanese also stared in awe as they watched the vortex retreat unto itself and disappearing after a short moment, the firing ceased for a full ten seconds before the fighting resumed.

McIntyre spent his last few breaths wondering what in the world could've possibly happened to Vaccarelli, his closest buddy since Peleliu. He died thinking that God put James on a fast track to Heaven. His last breath was a scoff that responded to his ridiculous dying thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I will try to keep an update schedule, that being an update within a week, a month at most. If you do not know, I have no beta and I can't seem to find a willing one. Thank you for your interest.

WARNING: This chapter and probably others in the future WILL contain possible offensive words. Keep in mind that James Vaccarelli is a man coming out of 1945. Sexism, racism and all around prejudice was very prevalent around that time, especially during wartime and his knowledge is limited to that time period for now. His vocabulary will definitely reflect that.

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to BioWare and I make no profit out of writing this.

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**_Cinnabar_**

**Eden Prime, 2183**

"Clear for a clear, Alenko." Her voice said clearly, moving forward down a ramp, her cheek resting on the stock of her rifle as she held a combat stance.

"All clear, Commander." A raspy voiced male replied, lowering his M-3 Predator pistol.

"Williams?" She turned to ask someone else who checked the crates to their left.

"Nothing here, ma'am." The woman responded, placing her M-7 Lancer assault rifle on her back.

The squad approached the shrine-like object that glowed with a greenish-white hue. "What do you think this is? Is this the beacon, Commander?" The man says, holstering his pistol.

It was a perplexing view, to say the least. The obelisk was lit up like a green metallic candle against the amber red burning sky of Eden Prime, a human farming colony in the Attican Traverse. For a short while, Commander Leanna Shepard thought that it was disappointing that she lost a Marine under her command for a simple xenomorphic, historical artefact. It looked mesmerising, but it wasn't enough to impress her. The thought of her closing the eyes of a young follower, gunned down so early in his life replaced the hypnotic pull that the beacon seemed to have. "I think it is, Alenko. Don't approach just yet." She ordered. "Check that storage locker over there."

"Aye-aye, ma'am."

The three searched the place for anything remarkable, but found nothing more than discarded rifles and explosives in a silver container. All the while, Shepard kept getting a feeling that something was dragging her body towards the ominous beacon, it felt like something whispered in her ears. She glanced at Alenko, who seemed to have the same demeanour as hers. Then at Williams, the female squad member, who also showed signs that she felt similar to everyone else.

Eventually, she had enough of the dreadful aura that the beacon gave and started to approach it. She was nearly halfway when something thundered behind the squad. She turns, just in time to see it come out of nowhere, a dark hole floating mid-air and it seemed to lift itself up as it started to expand, swirling. The light started to distort around the vortex while it continued to widen, getting higher up in the air, matter seemingly appearing to be sucked into the abyss. All three members looked at the swirling darkness overhead, with Williams' mouth agape and Alenko's head turning sideways as their curiosities were piqued. Shards of white light flashed out of the abyss, cracking through the distortion as the vortex rose up once more before it halted all motion. The dark hole stopped all activity; it didn't spin, nor expand any further. Sounds of what seemed like gunfire and rainfall emanated from the abyss, puzzling the trio. It continued for a few seconds before the dark hole started to spin again, this time in the opposite direction and the flashes of light spurted out in quick instances, once more. Shepard cautiously approached the abyss, to get a closer look. Soon, however, it appeared that the hole didn't exist in the same dimension as her or anyone else. The matter _was not getting sucked in_, but rather, _the light bent around _the abyss. She pulled out her pistol and fired a shot into the dark hole.

What she saw next was utterly bizarre.

The luminous projectile from her pistol seemed to pause in mid-air, right outside the hole, before it slowly, carefully, faded from existence, all while the gunfire and rain noises continued to come out from the vortex.

As she holstered her sidearm, a booming sound of thunder seemed to reverberate in everyone's ears. Shepard flinched in reaction, so did Alenko and Williams. She became slightly fazed, but as she recovered, she saw the whole thing receding, with the flashes of light getting weaker. The abyss appeared to disappear, it faded, and so did the noises and the flashes. Before it was gone, however, a great blinding light poured from the dark, swirling vortex, causing Shepard to reel backwards in an attempt to shield her body from a possible hazard. Then it was over. The light, the hole, the distorted view were all gone.

"Commander, what just happ—" Alenko was about to ask when he saw Shepard staring at something that materialised in front of her. They were all silent as they watched it.

It looked like a ball of light at first, but then it expanded, solidifying in the process. It took on a form of a humanoid, before another flash of light erupted from the object. Shepard only squinted, her eyes focused on the "object" that now became recognisable. She shuffled towards it, remaining cautious as she got closer.

"Shepard, I don't think that's smart." Alenko walked towards her, his hand reaching out.

She didn't respond as she watched the "object" cease to project any kind of concealing light and her sense of hearing seemed to stop working for the moment. A bloodied satchel made out of cloth crossed its body. It was a man, dressed in a sage green two-piece uniform and his head was covered by a metal helmet of some sort, which looked ill-fitting on him. His left arm was reaching over his chest, the hand gripping a certain spot. Shepard was bewildered as to why a man appeared out of nowhere, before she realised something. The man was covered in mud and absolute filth, his eyes looked forcefully shut, and as her eyes scanned the figure, she saw that he was soaked in blood. Shepard, reacting to her medical instinct, lunged forward, kneeling next to the man as her sense of hearing came back. She could hear the man groaning in pain and his face was pale in comparison to his hands. The obvious look of intense pain was painted on his face as Shepard activated her Omni-Tool to administer first-aid. She moved his hand away from the wounded area, to examine what kind of injury she was dealing with. Alenko and Williams moved next to Shepard, ready to give assistance if she requested it.

"It looks like a gunshot wound." Shepard firmly announced, her hands putting pressure on it as she faced Alenko, the only other person with medical training.

"Commander, there's an exit wound on his back, he's bleeding there too." Alenko replied, also getting on his knee, bringing his Omni-Tool online to scan the body for vital signs. "He's lost a lot of blood. We need to seal the wounds right away. He's gonna need serious medical attention, Shepard. Medi-gel is ready."

She nodded in agreement as she looked at the man. "Williams, I need you hold his head. Alenko, turn the body so we can take care of him." She commanded.

Williams knelt down as she held the wounded man's head gently. Shepard kept pressure on the entry wound as Alenko turned the man sideways. She couldn't help, but wince when she heard the man's agonising scream. "I'm sorry." She muttered to him. Surprisingly, she saw the man's head nod as a response. "You'll be all right." She reassured him.

"Exit wound's sealed and cleaned, Commander." Alenko stated.

They turned the body back to its original state, with the man panting and groaning as the pain shot up his chest again. The man then suddenly convulsed and blood spurted out of his mouth. Williams flinched slightly when some of the blood hit her face.

"Anaesthetise him. He's going to pass out if this keeps up." Williams lowered his head to the deck as more blood spurted out of the man's mouth. Shepard nodded towards Alenko and he proceeded to clean it, followed by slathering a sedative over the entry wound before continuing to seal it.

After finishing, Alenko scanned him once more before looking at Shepard and saying, "He's stabilised, but not for long, Commander."

James' eyes opened slowly as he rode the effects of the sedative he was given. He couldn't feel anything other than the calming caress that travelled in his nerves. He blinked and shifted his eyes to the face that was looking at him. A female face against the backdrop of an orange-red sky is what he recognises as the image got blurrier by the second. He tried to say something, with nothing coherent coming out. Then for a short time, his vision cleared out and saw the woman, her hazel eyes that showed concern blinked as James raised his right hand in his stupor. He mumbled something towards the face as he directed his hand to it. The dragging sensation of sleepiness started to pull his eyes shut as the woman held his hand and whispered, "_It's going to be alright."_ Then he shut his eyes, unable to fight the influence of the sedative.

After a sigh of relief from the trio, Shepard gently placed the man's hand down on his blood-soaked chest. Alenko stood up, cracking his hands in satisfaction of a saved life, with Williams following him.

The hum of the beacon started to resonate stronger in Alenko's mind. He can't stop looking at the green aura that seemed to grip his body. Taking steps forward, he heard it, the whispering in his head, an unrecognisable mess of an unknown origin. Williams didn't seem to be concerned at Alenko's sudden attraction towards the beacon at this point. He focused his vision at the hypnotising dancing of the ominous green aura. He was closer now. Something was pulling him towards it, his head started to throb and he did nothing to alleviate it like he usually would.

"Normandy, we are ready for pickup. We have the beacon." Shepard reported over her helmet's radio link.

_"Roger that."_

"Also requesting immediate medical attention." She added, looking over the man's body once more.

_"Copy. Who's down?"_

"Can't ID him. He's not showing up in any of my records. I don't think he's a colonist."

_"We can't bring him aboard without good reason, Commander."_

"Negative, I think you'll really want to know what just happened." Shepard assured.

_"Alright, Commander. We're inbound now."_

The radio link was cut off and Shepard finally stood up. Alenko suddenly caught her attention and Williams became aware too, as she ran towards the Lieutenant when Shepard did.

"Alenko!" The Commander yelled as she stopped behind him, watching him get pulled towards the beacon by an unknown force.

Reacting and thinking quickly, Shepard dashed forward, closing her arms around Alenko's waist. She also felt the pull that Alenko was experiencing. With one grunt, Shepard mustered the strength to throw Alenko to the side, out of the way, where Williams went to, checking him for any possible injuries. Alenko felt a dizzying sensation wrap his head as he watched Commander Shepard get pulled into the influence of the beacon instead. When she was about three feet away, she was thrust her upwards before abruptly stopping mid-air. Her limbs were stretched out as something insidious controlled Shepard's body.

"Shepard!" Alenko exclaimed, attempting to stand up.

Williams held him down. "No! Don't touch her, it's too dangerous!"

The pair could only observe as Shepard _experienced it_, her face contorting in pain as images implanted violently in her head. Her vision within her closed eyes became clouded with abstract imprints; she couldn't make sense any of it, the crimson red tint that seemed to cover everything, flesh and metal bonding together, the screams of an unknown in the distance, a planet burning. The sudden flood of information burned through her synapses.

She opened her eyes as she snapped out of it, she thought it was over when the beacon spontaneously exploded, knocking her unconscious instantly. Shrapnel flew everywhere as she was thrown backwards forcefully before landing down with a thud on the floor, a metre away from Williams and Alenko, who immediately rushed to Shepard's aid.

* * *

Shepard groaned as she came to her senses, the images gone from her head for the moment. She stirred as she realised that she was back in the SSV Normandy, albeit at the Med Bay, on a bed. She pinched the bridge of her nose before slowly sitting up. A headache made itself prominent as the Commander sat on the hospital bed's left edge.

"Doctor! Doctor Chakwas, she's awake!" Alenko called out. Shepard heard two sets of feet walk towards her.

An aged, blonde-haired woman put her gloved hand on Shepard's shoulder before coming into her view. "Shepard, how do you feel, dear? You were out for some time." She inquired with a motherly tone of concern.

"Minor throbbing, nothing too serious. What happened?" Shepard's fingers now massaged her temples as she replied while Alenko stopped next to Doctor Chakwas.

"The beacon exploded and you were knocked out cold." Alenko recalled, pausing before saying, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have approached it. I must've activated a security field." He felt the guilt coming out as he added.

Shepard turned her head slightly to the direction of the Lieutenant. "There's no way you could've known about it, Alenko."

The corner of his mouth smiled as he acknowledged the Commander's response.

"Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off. Alenko brought you back here while Williams and some other Marine recovered Jenkins and your unknown." The Doctor said, motioning her head towards the bed behind Shepard.

She faced Alenko as she thanked him, offering a small smile. "I appreciate it."

"I was observing your vitals and I noticed some unusual activity in your brain. Were you dreaming?" Doctor Chakwas questioned.

"I think though I can't put my mind around it properly."

"Hm, I'll have to add that to the repor—" The Doctor stopped, the hissing of the med bay's doors trailing as she continued, "Oh, Captain Anderson."

Shepard stood up, walking towards the end of her bed and leaned against it. She crossed her arms as she waited for the Captain to speak.

"How's our XO holding up, Doctor?" His voice wondered.

"She's doing well, just typical headaches. Nothing to worry about."

"Very well. I'll need a moment with her." Anderson said. Doctor Chakwas acknowledged and Lieutenant Alenko saluted before the duo left the med bay.

"We'll be out in the mess hall if you need us, Captain." Alenko remarked before the hatch hissed close.

Commander Shepard got out of the leaning stance she was in and went on to stand straight in front of Captain Anderson.

He broke the silence first. "Commander, how are you?"

"I don't like anyone dying under my command, sir. And intel dropped the ball on this one. We didn't expect to find the geth." She responded, recalling the whole mission.

"Jenkins was a good Marine. He'll get a proper burial." Anderson said, with Shepard nodding in agreement. "I agree about the intel and the geth. And the report about Saren's involvement?"

"He was there, sir. He killed Nihlus." Shepard declared. "And he attempted to wipe out the colony."

"He's a very dangerous person. We'll get to that later. What happened with the beacon?" Anderson asked, going against a bulkhead and leaning on it.

"It exploded as soon as I came in contact with it. Images filled my head, sir." She replied as she saw Anderson's brows furrow. "I saw… I'm not sure what I saw. Death? Destruction? I saw organics being slain by synthetics. Geth, maybe." She shuddered at the disturbing thoughts.

Silence fell over the two for a while. Shepard watched as Anderson move from the bulkhead and to the bed which was occupied by the man they saved in the colony. "We're going to have to report that. Saren is a threat to any human world out there. He hates humans." Anderson asserted.

"What am I going to say? That I had a bad dream?"

"No, but the Council needs to know that Saren is dangerous and must stripped out of his Spectre status. I'll think of a way to bring it up. Just make sure to know what to say when they inquire about what happened."

"Yes, sir." It was the only thing Shepard could say. She respected the man far too much to argue for anything else. Besides, she agreed wholeheartedly about Saren.

"We're on the way to the Citadel. We'll be stuck there for a while. The Normandy needs to perform some adjustment with the drive core and Rear Admiral Mikhailovich of the Fifth Fleet requested an inspection of the ship." Anderson said as he examined the man that lay before him. "And who is this? Williams and Alenko said he appeared out of thin air? What are they talking about?"

"We're about to find out, Captain. He didn't show up in the Eden Prime census." She said, moving towards the man also. "There was… An anomaly, as far as we know, sir. A vortex appeared and his body materialised as the hole vanished. He was in a really bad shape when we looked over him." Shepard watched Anderson give her a quizzical look.

"That'll be all for now. Williams is out on the mess hall. I think you'd want to talk to her. Other than that, just think of what to say for Saren's investigation and find out who he is so we can know what to do with him when he's able to move. And I need to know what really happened, Shepard. 'An anomaly' is not enough of an explanation as to why this man can appear out of thin air. I want good answers." Anderson pointed towards the man, his eyes filled with disbelief before he stepped out of the med bay.

Shepard leaned to do a quick scan of the man again. She thought everything about him was odd. His clothing, his hairstyle, and his whole "out of place" vibe that he seemed to give off. Plus, the way he appeared out of nowhere was a big curiosity that piqued Shepard's mind. He's been stripped of his clothing apart from his underwear. She agreed that the man was physically fit, his body was toned even if he appeared to be slim and quite good-looking save for the patch of gauze and bandage over his wound that revealed some absorbed blood. His facial features appeared to be a mix of Mediterranean and Asian traits, his hair was dark and currently messy, his skin was a moderate brown, and there was a prominent farmer's tan throughout his body. What caught her attention though, were the two pieces of rounded-edge metal pendants on his chest strung by a thin green cord that wrapped around his neck. _"Is that a necklace?"_ She thought as she held it in her hands and took a closer look. Her interest and confusion further increased as she read the tag.

"VACCARELLI

J. S.

846349 C

TYPE –O-

5.15/44

USMC"

Her mind raced at the last line. Shepard's mind immediately started to turn, her curiosity overcoming her. She looked beside this Vaccarelli's bed, where a small table was moved. On it were the now cleaned, neatly folded uniform of the man, his helmet, and satchel. She grabbed the top portion of the faded green uniform and unfurled it. Her eyes were intent on finding an idea of something and she found it on the jacket's left chest flapless pocket. The initials, "USMC," were imprinted into the pocket, above a silhouette of what she could piece as a bird of some sort perched on a circle imposed on an anchor. Then it clicked, an image from her time when she was in Officer Candidate School, _Eagle, Globe, and Anchor_. She stared at the jacket in wonder. Shepard took notice of the hole on the right chest of the jacket before she folded it again and placed atop the other folded clothing. She rummaged through his satchel, to look for clues for his identity further, only coming up with an array of antique copper-covered bullet cartridges held together by a strip of metal. Shepard held the block of eight bullets in her hand as she examined it. It didn't look old, wasn't rusty as it should be. She knew that firearms manufacturers from Earth have ceased to produce any kind of ammunition that used gunpowder since the turn of the 22nd century. So it was no surprise that Shepard was indeed, more than curious by now. She put the block inside the satchel, in time to see Vaccarelli stir awake. She watched him open his eyes with interest.

James was initially blinded by the lighting in the room he was now in. His mind buzzed about as he felt the coldness of the room. He tried to remember what happened and when he did, he made a conclusion that by some chance, he survived and now recovering. As he enjoyed the feeling of the now-subtle effect of whatever was in his veins, he guided his hand over his chest wound. He noticed that he was wearing nothing other than his boxers, which was now dry and clean, along with the rest of his body. _So that's why it's so cold._ He traced his hand over the bandage that covered the injury, telling himself that he was lucky. An intruding thought entered his mind, wondering if McIntyre survived too. This caused him to turn his head to the left then towards the direction of his feet, only finding nothing but a brightly lit hospital bed, an odd looking door, several chairs with attached tables and weird contraptions. When he turned his head to the right, he saw a woman, and he recalled who she was through the big hazel eyes that stared into his own. He examined her quickly, trying not to be rude or suspicious. She had cream white skin that was obviously lightly tanned, her face was very feminine and it reminded him of the faces that would appear on a showgirl in a war bonds ad, minus the revealing getup. Beneath her right eye is a scar, a slight horizontal gash that did nothing to deviate from her natural beauty. Her hair was tied in a bun; she wore a charcoal jumpsuit with the sleeves rolled up above her elbows, she had no makeup and she had an intrigued look on her face._ "She's beautiful… Is she a nurse?"_ He mused.

"You're awake." The woman said.

"Where am I?" James asked her as he sat up, his arms behind him, supporting him.

"I'm Commander Shepard and you are aboard SSV Normandy, an Alliance ship. You're safe here." She announced as she dragged a stool and sat next to the bed.

Her dialect made it known to him that she was probably Canadian and he concluded that he was on-board a Canadian military vessel, _an Allied vessel_, which was weird, because it wasn't in his knowledge that the Canadians were in the Pacific. James thought that while it was odd that a woman had such a high ranking position in the Canadian Navy, he held back his opinion as he thanked the Commander. "Thank you, ma'am. This ship is swell. Didn't expect Canadian ships to be here though."

Shepard gave him a puzzled look. "You're welcome, but I need to know who you are. Your tags are not enough." She said, pointing out his dog tags.

"Yes, ma'am. Private First Class James Vaccarelli, USMC." He said, following her as if he was given an order, which for all he knew, she did.

"You need to more specific, Vaccarelli." She affirmed.

"Yes, ma'am. Uh, Private First Class James Vaccarelli, King Company, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division." He recited his whole unit.

"Hm. I see." Shepard wasn't sure if he was a colonist gone insane or, by an extreme slim chance, was telling the truth. The way he appeared in front of her while at Eden Prime being the main factor, but decided that she'd need more overt proof. She didn't have to wait.

"Ma'am, I'm just really glad to be in this ritzy Canadian ship. Are we still fighting the Japs in Okinawa? How long was I out?" James sincerely asked.

Shepard only stared at him; her mind starting to accept the possibility that the unexplainable happened. That part of Earth history, that specific, was now only taught at prestigious universities and military academies. She pieced it all together, no matter how far-fetched it seemed, the way he talked, the surprised look on his face when he found out her rank, his reference to a Canadian ship, the honest expression he had when he asked about Okinawa. "When's your date of birth, Vaccarelli?" She asked to hide the rising realisation in her face.

"November 25th, 1921, ma'am." He replied, not too bothered by the Commander's ignoring of his question.

That was it, she felt she had enough. She was going to Captain Anderson with this and ask for permission to do an advanced, filtered search in the Earth Military archives. "Vaccarelli, stay here, don't move. I'll be right back. I'll just go get Captain Anderson. He's the Commanding Officer of this ship." Shepard said, standing up and leaving the med bay in a rush.

James wondered why she would need to get the CO, but that thought was replaced when he saw the Commander leave the med bay through a door_ that was opening on its own, hissing, and shutting after she passed it._ His mouth hung open at the sight, flabbergasted. He imagined how advanced the technology on this ship was and how they managed to get the feeling of swaying from the rough waters seem unnoticeable. Everything was completely still, not even a slight rocking. He looked down on his wound again and being the curious kid that he always was, he poked it. He didn't feel pain. He left it to the fact that he was probably still drugged up.

It didn't take long for the Commander to come back, but this time someone was behind her. He was a tall, darker-skinned, imposing figure dressed in what he would assume, a blue dress uniform. _"Are there any negro officers on any Allied ship? Especially as a CO?"_ James thought as he looked at him. The man stepped forward as Shepard sat down in front of those tables with a weird contraption, next to the med bay's hatch. The table glowed neon orange as Shepard tapped the surface. _Wicked cool. _James thought about what she was doing as it appeared that she was typing on a table with an orange light and looking at a barely opaque screen. His interest was cut short when the blue uniformed man stood next to him.

"I'm Captain Anderson, Commanding Officer of the SSV Normandy." He disclosed.

"Is there a problem, sir?" James asked, now completely worried that something bad has come up.

"Tell me how you got here. Every detail." He requested. His voice was deep, commanding.

"Yes, sir. We were crossing a riverbed in the middle of one of those typhoons. The Japs were just recovering from our artillery's barrage, but they recovered fast and retaliated, sir. I was running up a slope when an MG nest opened fire on me and McIntyre. I rolled downhill and after a bit, something appeared in the sky. It was real confusing, sir. Looking at it gave me heebie-jeebies and I was already shot. Then suddenly I just saw white and the next thing I remember is seeing a red sky and Commander Shepard treating me. And then I was here in this spiffy Allied ship, sir." He answered, sounding clearly as he can.

Anderson caught that last line, especially that one word. "This is an_ Alliance _ship, Vaccarelli. Not Allied." He reckoned. "Systems Alliance Space Vehicle Normandy Stealth Reconnaissance-1."

"Is… Is that some Canadian-American Allied naval force, sir..?" James tilted his head in complete confusion, missing the word, "space."

Captain Anderson looked at the Commander who was busy working on something; she was intently staring at the screen as her fingers danced around the table. "What year is it, Vaccarelli?" He turned to him, studying his face for any sign of duping.

"1945, right, sir? May I ask what's going on, sir?" James replied, an evident concern in his tone.

The Captain could only look at him in disbelief as he failed to spot any sign of lying and he had been trained to handle liars extensively.

"Captain, I've found something. I narrowed the search to everything we have gotten from him so far. His DOB, unit, and posting. I also ran searches for the anomaly and only one came up, back in 1945, in the Pacific. It's highly classified. It checks out. It's exactly what we saw on Eden Prime, sir. Everything checks out." Shepard reported, her head looking away from the screen and towards the Captain. The way she said the last sentence caused Anderson's skin to crawl.

Anderson walked over to the terminal, telling Shepard to move so he can see the reports and files with his own eyes. It unsettled him. And he was a career military man with enough medals to melt to make a statue of himself, have seen and done things a seasoned combat operator would do. And _this_ unsettled him. He turned to stare at Shepard for a while, who was sitting on a stool next to Vaccarelli, then back to the screen.

**_ "Excerpt from a classified after-action report directed to Major General del Valle-_**

_-Further investigation of the battle concluded that Private First Class Vaccarelli's body was disintegrated when a mortar round landed on a Japanese explosive booby trap that the PFC's dying body covered up as he was hit by an enemy MG round. First-hand accounts of the "anomalous vortex" on both sides were dismissed as battlefield duress._

_After the Battle of Okinawa, Private First Class James S. Vaccarelli is officially declared Killed-In-Action along with 12,000+ Allied troops. Case is closed and further requests for investigation will be denied."_

He then switched tabs, this time bringing up Vaccarelli's old military record in an updated, streamlined layout.

"**_Name:_**_ James Saito Vaccarelli_

**_Date of Birth:_**_ 25-11-1921_

**_Date of Death:_**_ 26-5-1945 (No body recovered)_

**_Place of Birth:_**_ Los Angeles, California, USA_

**_Place of Death:_**_ Okinawa, Japan_

**_Height: _**_5"9 ft. / 1.75m_

**_Weight:_**_ 148 lbs. / 67.1kg _

**_Branch of Service:_**_ Marine Corps_

**_Classification: 1-A_**"

Attached to the record was a photograph of Vaccarelli, it was in black-and-white.

On the bed, James watched Captain Anderson's expression of intrigue turn into something deeper. He glanced at him a couple of times as he read whatever was on the screen while Commander Shepard seemed to be in concentrated thought. "Sir, what's going on?" He begged, looking at the two.

Anderson finally stood up, accepting the events as reality with no way of being fabricated and walked next to Shepard. "Commander, are you completely certain that the anomaly from Okinawa is what you've seen on Eden Prime?"

Shepard stood up, her tone was positive, "Yes, sir."

"And do you believe that this is something that we have no further evidence for at the moment, except for him? Anderson related, once again pointing to Vaccarelli.

"Yes, sir." She replied.

"Very well… Do you think you'll be able to handle telling him of the situation? I have a very important report to submit to Admiral Hackett." The Captain addressed.

"Yes, sir." Shepard replied once more. As Anderson turned to leave the med bay, Shepard turned around to face Vaccarelli, who had a face of absolute confusion.

She thought of a way to break this surreal information to him, a way not to sound ridiculous to someone like him. "James, is it?" She asked with a friendly tone.

"Yes, ma'am. Can you tell me what happened?" He said, his hands hugging his knees to keep himself warm.

"I have no idea how to say this properly. Or tell you this without sounding like a crazy person to you." Shepard confessed. "What year do you think it is?"

"Well, I guess based on this ship… It has to be after the war. It's over isn't it? Did we win? Is it 1946?" James responded, a glint of honest hope in his eyes.

"No… but you're going to have to trust me, James. That's all I'll ask of you" Shepard had a hard time saying the words. She thought about asking Alenko or Williams to do it, but then she'd have to retell the whole ordeal to them.

After thinking if she's telling the truth about trusting her, he nodded and replied. "I trust you… 1947?"

Shepard paused to look at James first before she opened her mouth.

"No, James. This is the year 2183. You are in space, aboard a military vessel. You appeared in front of me on a planet named Eden Prime with a gunshot wound and a bloody, muddy uniform." It sounded better in her head.

"What? What are you talking about?" James implored. It was clear that he was trying to hide doubt by laughing.

"We think that the vortex that appeared over Okinawa in 1945 was a wormhole and it transported you to Eden Prime, in this year, 2183. It's the only possible explanation we can conjure. You've been declared KIA back in your time. James… I'm sorry." Shepard revealed. Her voice was filled with sudden pity and legitimate concern for him, which she found odd.

James looked at her. Her hazel eyes told him that she wasn't lying, that she was sincere, but something worse seemed to be waiting to be said. He was silent as he kept his gaze at Shepard, his eyes and face slowly showing distress as he came to terms with the gravity of the situation. She maintained the eye contact with him when she affirmed, "You fell out of time, James. I don't think you can ever go back."

He was quiet as a chill ran up his spine. His hands started to shiver as he let go of his embrace around his knees. His body seemed to resign from warming itself up; his arms flopped to his sides. Something, somewhere, told him, reassured him, and drilled into him, that this was the truth, which he didn't need further proof than what's in front of him. His face became devoid of any expression as the colour drained.

A tear trailed down his right eye as he kept looking at Shepard, who now held his hand in an attempt to make the situation easier to accept. Somehow, she felt what he was feeling. On all her combat tours and time spent amongst different ships and postings, she has never seen this kind of look from anyone. She can't put it into words, the closest being the word, "broken."

Finally, James blinked. Not knowing what to do, but was sure at the exact moment, that he had found someone to trust. And he was looking into her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Terribly sorry for the update lag. I had some problems with my battery. Forgive me if this chapter is a filler, because it is. I had to start his journey somewhere, right?

Anywho, here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't earn shit out of writing this shit.

* * *

**_First Coffee in Ages_**

_That was too easy. He easily accepted. Probably still under it. The sedative will fade away any second now. I gave him too much,_ Shepard thought. And she was right.

James felt the sudden rush of hurt slap his chest. He tried to maintain his face, his demeanour, avoiding yelling in pain. He separated his hand from Shepard's and the destroyed look he gave her diminished ever so slowly, replaced by his facial expression twitching as something clicked in his head. He attempted to maintain a civilised voice, keep cool as he put his hand over his aching chest wound. "Ha! Jesus, this hurts. Who put you up to this, huh?" He drawled, riding out the pain in his words, wiping his single tear away.

Shepard gave him a straight face in response.

"Really? I'm thankful for you folks saving my life and all, but to pull a prank like this? You take me for a bunny, huh?" James grumbled, adjusting his position on the bed. Shepard just let him talk.

"What's the grift, pal? Someone told you I like science-fiction books? Take advantage of that, make fun of the guy that got shot? I know I shoulda never shared that picture of Elaine back at the ship. Never got it back and they bring you up here, looking like her? Even got the hair right… I just saw lots a guys get clipped and you prank me." He jeered, looking at Shepard, trying to accuse her of something mentally.

"Seriously? Automatic sliding doors? A negro for a CO and a broad as a Commander? All this spitting about space ships and the future? Joke's over, pal… It's not funny."

Shepard remained quiet; she understood how this must seem to him. _Poor bastard._

"Look, I'm all silk. I can fight. Just send me back, I don't care. This?" James pointed at his injury. "This is nothing. I'm thankful and all, but this wasn't funny." James uttered. He got off the bed and ignored the pain that clamped his chest when he set his feet down.

Shepard watched him, but still did nothing. She figured that it's going to take a bit longer for the facts to get absorbed in his head. She could only imagine what he was going through by the time he got transported. Shepard had read about the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War while she was still in the Naval Academy and she thought it was beyond dismal, barbaric. He was covered in blood and mud when she found him, further placing images in her imagination. She knew that if the same thing happened to her, she would react in the same way.

James moved the robotic arm that helped perform surgeries. "Let me guess, robot arm over here helped to take out the bullet that hit me? What, fix up the flesh torn off?"

Shepard moved her head in the negative. "Bullet went clean through you. We just cleaned and sealed your wound. Everything should be fine by now."

"Fine? Then why does it still hurt?" James asked her.

"It's the medi-gel repairing the tears internally."

"What the hell is medi-gel?"

"All-purpose medical salve. Instantly seals injuries from infection, allows rapid healing."

James scoffed.

"Look, I know this is very hard for you. I can only imagine what's going on your mind after hearing something like this. I know this all hard to believe, but you have to trust me. Is there anything I can do make you believe that is real?" Shepard stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "I'll give you time to think about it. I'll be right outside, it's the mess hall. Your clothes are right there. Get dressed. The door opens on its own once you get close enough. I need you to trust me, James. That's all I can promise you." She then left.

James again, looked at awe as the door opened and closed on its own. He remained quiet, contemplating as he changed over to his newly-cleaned uniform. He started with a sparkling white t-shirt, new, he figured. He slid on his faded trousers, his mind picturing how clean it was compared to the filthy one he wore when he got shot. Next to his boots were socks, probably a spare from someone. He was still thinking of a way to make himself believe that this isn't some dream or joke as he put on his socks and laced his boots. He took note of the two holes that were on his coat as his wore it. James ignored the helmet as he sat back down on his bed. With a sigh, he rested his body back down and closed his eyes from the now-dimly lit med bay.

"Commander, good to see you up and about." Alenko said as Shepard stepped into the mess hall.

"How are you holding up?" Shepard asked in return, walking towards him.

"I'm good, Commander, still a bit down after what happened to Jenkins. He didn't deserve that." He looked down in respect to their fallen marine.

"Yeah, he was a young kid. Good kid. We can't linger on it though."

"Yes, ma'am. Uh, are we heading to the Citadel to discuss what happened at Eden Prime with the Council?"

Shepard nodded. "Why, Alenko? Do you have any input about it?"

"Sort of, ma'am. It's just the whole Saren thing is… I think the Council is going to protect him. He's a Spectre and they probably would avoid any smearing to their own agents." Alenko explained.

"Looks like you might know more about politics that I'll ever care about, Lieutenant." Shepard jokingly confessed.

"Ha, it's just a talent that I picked up from being around too many officers and politicians." He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Williams, come here, I need to talk to you two." Shepard called out to Williams, who was leaning by a set of lockers. As she beckoned her, Shepard also told Alenko to sit down at the long table right next to them.

"Yes, ma'am?" Williams inquired.

"Firstly, how are you, Gunnery Chief?" Shepard asked as she signalled for Williams to sit down.

"Nothing serious, just a few scrapes and burns. I feel bad about Jenkins though, ma'am. It feels like I just took his spot." Williams admitted. She crossed her fingers. "And you never get used to seeing dead civilians."

Shepard nodded, acknowledging the woman's feelings. "It's alright. And don't worry, you're a good Marine, you belong here."

Williams smiled in return. "Anything you need to discuss ma'am?"

"About that unknown in the med bay." Shepard said, causing the two to train their eyes on her. Shepard looked around and was grateful that the nearest person on the mess hall, Doctor Chakwas, was all the way to the other side, by the sleeper pods.

"The best theory we could come up is that he… Fell out of time. Sucked through that vortex." Shepard whispered. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but what else would you say about that vortex and his sudden appearance?"

"And his outfit too." Williams chimed.

Alenko gave the two a puzzled look. "What about his outfit?"

"I went through his satchel and found a lot of what we would consider as antiques, but they looked pristine. His outfit hasn't been in circulation since the first half of the 20th. And the way he talks… I can't even understand some of the words he said. He referred to the Captain as a negro." Shepard explained, leaning back into her seat.

"Who is he? Do we have any idea about his identity?" Alenko asked.

"According to his dogtags and from what I've managed to dig up in the Earth Military Archives, he's Private First Class James Saito Vaccarelli, United States Marines." Shepard firmly said.

"How is he taking this whole time jump thing?" Williams pressed as she leaned in closer.

"His best, I guess. How would you react if you got shot and woke up in the future?" Shepard sarcastically asked. "For now, I need you to be quiet about this. Anyone asks, he's a civilian with amnesia that we're dropping off at the Citadel." She said. She soon noticed the two looking at the med bay's door.

James stood in absolute wonder as he took in the sight. Above the Commander and two people was an orange _thing_ that glowed. Dark greys were the colour of the walls, while bright lights made the place alive. It looked futuristic in his eyes, but it still wasn't enough.

The trio looked at the stunned person that moved slowly towards them as he kept glancing at everything that he passed. Williams broke the silence by whispering, "He's cute. Like in a lost puppy kind of way." This prompted Shepard to lightly chuckle. They all observed him, examined him. His hair was now neater, hand-combed to the left side. His uniform looked baggy, but much cleaner; a stark contrast to the blood soaked one that the trio found him in.

"Commander, if I'm going to believe you, you better tell me everything I need to know." James said as he walked towards the three, then sitting down on the corner of the table, a small distance between himself and the trio.

Shepard smiled at James for what he said. She cleared her throat. "A wormhole. That's the best thing we can come up with. Wherever you were before, you got transported to this time. It's a very hard thing to accept, I know. If you have any questions, ask. And you two, " Shepard pointed at Williams and Alenko. "Feel free to ask questions too. We need as much information we can get from both sides as possible."

"I know what a wormhole is… I think. I've snuck into a lot of lecture halls, more than I can count. Who are you two?" James started.

"I'm Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and that's Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams."

"What kinda ranks are that?" James immediately asked back.

"Look, when humanity spread out to the stars, basically one big military was set up from a lot of other nations. New ranks were established." Williams said. "I have a question for you. Where were you when you were… transported? You were bleeding and muddy."

James was quiet. Footsteps became audible behind them as Doctor Chakwas started to approach them from the beckoning of Shepard, which James didn't notice. The doctor sat next to Shepard.

Images of McIntyre getting torn apart by enemy gunfire plagued his vision, followed by him getting shot, which he winced to as he remembered. "I… I was in Okinawa. It was in May, I forgot what day. It was raining. Have been for days. We were storming this ridge and I got shot. I was in pain when I saw this black thing open in the sky. I think I passed out after I saw this white flash of light blind me. I opened my eyes and I saw the red sky and the Commander." He recalled.

"Okinawa? Was it during the second World War?" Williams asked carefully, as she felt that she was opening up some very fresh wounds.

"Yeah… About that… If I am in the future, what happened? Did we win?" James asked. His face was suddenly filled with a fearful doubt, expecting the worst.

"Yes. The Japanese surrendered in August that same year. You won." Shepard said with a reassuring smile in her face.

The doctor, the Commander, the Lieutenant, and the Chief all watched as James broke down. He smiled, scoffed at first and then immediately cried with tears flowing down his cheeks as he laughed. "We won? Haha, we all thought we were going to die in that ridge! I saw my best buddy get ripped apart by a Jap. I watched four Marines turn into blood and mud soup as a mortar landed on them. And the bodies that piled so high you can use them as cover. And we won?" James said, not knowing how to really react.

"Just the day before that, I killed a Jap by stabbing him in the head with my bayonet. Another Jap with round to his head at point blank. I lost of how many Japs I've killed by my rifle and my Ka-bar. And you're telling me we won?" He choked, tears flooding his cheeks. "They're all dead and I'm here, sitting in some so called ritzy space ship of the future. What kind of shit is this?" He finished.

The four remained quiet as James poured his shock out. His hands were shaking as he wiped his tears. "How did we win?"

"By nuclear bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki." Alenko said in an assuring tone.

"Nuclear bomb? What?" James asked.

"Very powerful bombs. Both cities were completely wiped out." Williams replied this time, feeling sorry for the man.

James was quiet for a few seconds. He looked down on the table's surface, his hand were shaking. "How can I know that you're on the square?" He said and Shepard looked at him with a confused face.

"On the square?" She asked.

"Uh, telling the truth, Commander." Doctor Chakwas explained. "If those old Earth books are right."

"What can I do to make you believe?" Shepard asked him, her tone friendly.

"I want to see it. Space? Stars? Prove it. I want to walk on a big space platform and see it. I-if you have those. Do you?" James sternly replied with his face buried in his hands.

"We'll find a way. Anything else you want to ask?" Shepard offered.

"Yeah, how did I get cleaned up?" He said with a light chuckle, a bit red from slight embarrassment.

Shepard pointed to Doctor Chakwas who then said, "Don't worry, dear. It's alright."

They then discussed and brought James up to date with recent events. Telling him what had happened in the past 238 years, or rather, the most important things to have occurred since he vanished from his time. Shepard could tell that James was slowly accepting it; he seemed interested in asking questions, though he avoided discussing his time in the horrendous war. She related, by all means. She compared it to what she had gone through when her whole unit was wiped on the planet Akuze. Being a survivor of something remarkably traumatic tends to leave one unwilling to remember such things.

The group kept talking, easing James into the new world. They showed him what an omnitool was, garnering a childlike toy interest from James. Alenko proceeded to give his old one to James to tinker with, as a gesture of welcoming him into his new world, with Shepard giving him instructions on how to use it. "How does this thing work? It's on a wrist brace and you touch it and then this… what was the word again?" James asked as he turned the omnitool on and off.

"Holographic display." Shepard replied.

"Okay, holographic display appears. How does this pop out? And how does it become so solid when it looks near transparent? This is swell!" James commented, his voice comparable to that of a little boy getting his first toy.

"It works by—"

"Never mind, I don't want to know, really. I probably won't even understand it."

Shepard and Doctor Chakwas chuckled.

"Okay… Maybe I should start to believe you. There's no way that this thing can exist in 1945, but I still want to see this outer space." James conceded as he stopped fiddling with his omnitool.

"I can work something out. Alenko, Williams, head to the bridge and tell us if we're near the Citadel. Joker needs some company." Captain Anderson suddenly came into the view of the group. Ashley and Kaidan saluted the CO and left, while Doctor Chakwas excused herself as she figured that he wanted privacy with Shepard and the time jumper.

"How are you holding up, Vaccarelli?" He asked, towering over James' chair.

"I'm swell, Captain." James replied to the imposing man.

"Good to know. I just spoke with Admiral Hackett." Anderson said.

Shepard and James looked at him as he continued.

"For now, the best course of action is to have you with us until the Admiral figures out of a way to do something with your situation. He's given me options on how you to hide your from investigations and I've chosen one. It's for your own good. This way you can move freely through security checkpoints." He paused, booting up his omnitool. "I'm giving you a fake identity. The best I can come up with is to put you in as a defence contractor aboard with us."

James raised his eyebrow in response.

"Here, I just sent the specifics to Shepard. She's going to guide you through the process of being 'alive' in this era." Anderson's omnitool faded away. "As for the way to get you convinced and as to make you familiarised with your new environment, I'd like you to come with us to the Citadel."

Shepard was open to this idea, but she just had to raise one concern.

"Captain, he doesn't have the vaccinations for alien contact and he doesn't have any gene mods. The cover would be blown right away." She said, looking back and forth between Anderson and James, who had an interested look.

"I know. I already messaged Doctor Chakwas to prepare the vaccinations and the standard issue gene mods. Our Vaccarelli here would appear as an Alliance personnel-turned-mercenary."

Shepard nodded.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it. Try to adapt well, Vaccarelli. I'll talk to you later. And I hope you don't mind not using the term 'negro' when speaking about anyone of a darker skin tone. We're way beyond past those issues."

James breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, really? Swell. I was never comfortable saying those words. Kind of demeaning. I never understood why folks would hate darker skinned folks just for having dark skin. They were all right by me. They played real good jazz too."

Anderson gave him a chuckle. "That's outstanding. Prejudice is not tolerated on my ship. I understand you just came from fighting the Imperial Japanese, so I'll give you some leeway. That's all." The Captain then walked back to his quarters.

Shepard was still activating the Alliance registry as she stood up and said, "While were' waiting for this thing to process, I'm going to get some chow, do you want some? Coffee, maybe?"

James nodded. "I'd really like some coffee. I'll take it clean."

As Shepard left, James took in his surroundings. He still had a tremendous amount of questions which he decided to hold off until later. He fiddled with his omnitool, completely fascinated by it as he figured out how to work it. James was mesmerised by the _typewriter keys_ that was on his arm, surrounded by an orange glow. He typed up his name, his birthday, just to see how it felt. He felt giddy as he tinkered with this new technology. Although it seemed puzzling how to handle it first, he eventually got the gist of operating an omnitool all on his own. Shepard eventually came back with a tray of food and two cups of coffee. She smiled at James' interest with the omnitool. "So, I see you've figured out how to work it."

James turned to see Shepard sitting down next to him and handing his cup of coffee to him. "Yeah, it's pretty easy to understand. Can't believe it's really like this. It's literally on the tip of your fingers. It says 'extranet' right here. What does that mean?" He said, leaning across to show the omnitool.

"It's basically a big library and database of everything recorded that's not classified. That and it can perform a multitude of other things too." Shepard replied, ripping open a packet of sugar to put on her coffee.

"That's fantastic." James said as his omnitool faded away. He reached for his cup of coffee and took a sip. "Wow… This is great. I haven't had this in months."

"And a couple of centuries." Shepard quipped.

They both laughed at her remark. James' face returned to a relaxed state. They sat in silence for a while. "This is really great. This coffee. Best one I've had, I guess." He broke the hum of the ship.

He cupped the warmth of the mug in his hands, letting it travel down to his arms. He savoured the intoxicating smell. Shepard kept chomping down her daily intake of required calories. James just watched as she downed one small plate after the other. She noticed and she looked at him. "What?" Shepard asks.

"You really eat a lot for a girl." James commented, with his face bearing a half-smile.

"I have to. As a biotic, I need to. Or else I'd be exhausted all the time." Shepard said she took a spoonful of ship food.

"Biotic?" He asked.

"In a nutshell, I can do things with my mind. Watch." Shepard then lifted her tray of food, the whole object surrounded by a mist of purplish-blue hue. She set it down gently, without touching it. When she turned to look at James, who had the most bewildered look she has ever seen.

"How is that even possible?" James exclaimed in surprise.

"You need to eat too. Let me get you some chow and I'll answer whatever question you might have about this new world you're in."

James didn't have to wait long. As the two ate, James incessantly fired question after question, taking in every answer to his mind. He asked about how space ships worked, how the whole biotics thing worked, how they managed to breathe in this environment, how are there females in leadership roles in the military. Shepard left and came back with more food, surprised at how much James ate as well, though it came as no surprise as he hasn't eaten good food when he fought in Japan. He then asked about an enormous amount of questions and curiosities, all of which Shepard was glad to answer.

When they finished eating, Shepard told James to follow him, so he would know where to get chow any time he needed it. She emphasised that since he wasn't technically military, he was allowed to eat any time he wished. Supplies were steady on the ship and there's more than enough chow for everyone. Shepard also led him to the cargo bay, to show him where to get an updated set of clothing, which he now wore, a set of black utility uniform. After going up to the med bay to put his older clothes away, he met up with Shepard once more in the cargo bay. She also fitted him with a shield harness as a precaution and demonstrated how it worked.

"So, any projectile faster than this would be deflected?" James asked her.

"Yes. As long as the batteries work. If they deplete, find actual cover and wait for the harness to recharge." Shepard replied.

"This is just amazing." He said, walking over to the end of the cargo bay, fascinated by the Mako to his right. "I want to see it, too. Do you have a weapon? Shoot me." He declared.

Shepard was at first appalled at his bravado, but nevertheless relented. She headed over to the weapons table, took a pistol and returned to her former place. She aimed at James' torso. "Are you sure about this?" She asked with slight concern.

"Yeah. I trust you." James said.

Shepard gave him a smile before pulling the trigger. James flinched slightly, taking a step back as he watched the gun fire and the projectile bounce off a thin translucent blue sheet that appeared almost immediately after Shepard shot him. James held his breath as he felt his hand over chest. There was nothing. "This is just swell." He ran over to Shepard, just in time to see the weapon _collapse_ into a smaller frame.

Shepard then explained how the firearms work in her time. At first, James was confused, but then warmed up to it as she cleared things up. He was filled with glee with all the current technology that was upon him. He found himself unable to find words to describe what he felt about it. After a short conversation with Anderson on her omnitool, Shepard suggested to James to try out some of the lesser grade firearms, the ones that wouldn't even scratch the hull of the ship. Shepard ordered the Requisitions Officer to place some makeshift targets with shields by the cargo bay door. Once it was set, she told the officer that they were just looking to blow off some steam as a lie to cover James' identity.

"What would you like to test? We're gonna have to assign you some weapons anyway if you're going to pull off this contractor cover." Shepard told him as she guided him over to the weapons table. "Here, let's see you try a basic pistol. M-3 Predator."

James picked it up and watched as it transformed into a full size futuristic handgun. Shepard reached over to lower the intensity of the accelerator inside the weapon. "Alright, this shouldn't be able to do any kind of lethal damage or dent the walls."

They walked over to their desired point and James held the Predator with one hand. James fired at the target, expected the recoil and saw the shield deflect his shot. "That's good, but you'd want a more stable shooting position. Two hands, James." Shepard said, mimicking the pose to show James. He followed and fired more shots. He agreed that it was more stable, that the pistol's kick wasn't as strong as before. It was more than satisfactory.

They repeated it with the M-97 Viper, which James found very comfortable. It reminded him of his rifle in Japan. He asked if there was one with a lesser degree of magnification. Shepard obliged and gave him one with such. He fired it multiple times before it overheated, which prompted Shepard to explain how the concept of reloading changed.

At the end of it all, Shepard agreed to equip James with the Viper and the Predator as his weapons whenever he would go ashore. They also went on to fit James with his own personal hardsuit, which then Shepard explained how they worked. James just kept on absorbing everything slapped in his way and he wasn't complaining this time around. He was excited to know that the modern hardsuits had ways of stopping a wound through the computerised dispersal of medi-gel.

Shepard looked through the salvage from Eden Prime and found one that would complete James' cover as a mercenary. "Here, Hahne-Kedar Ursa Medium armour." Shepard said as she showed the desert camouflaged hardsuit. James was ecstatic when Shepard instructed him how to wear a hardsuit properly. The clasps, straps, and the weight instantly felt natural to James. "This is wonderful, Commander." Was all he can offer to say.

"Come on, let's show you to the Captain. We're about to dock in to the Citadel as well."

James stepped into the elevator in full combat attire with his Ursa armour, Viper rifle mag-holstered to his back, and his Predator pistol to his left hip. Shepard was actually amazed at how easy it was to teach James about armour and weapons. She left it at the assumption that the out-of-time Marine still thinks like a combat-able warrior.

As they waited for the Captain to join them once more on the mess hall table, James figured out how to navigate the extranet. His first instinct was to check up on his unit's fate. He was relieved as read through story after story, with the eventual ending of the convergence of all major militaries into one supranational government.

"Okay, so, this is what your new identity will be." Shepard said she called James' attention as she finalised the registry used by the Alliance government.

"Officially, your name is still James Saito Vaccarelli. I moved your birthdate as November 21, 2159. That makes you twenty-three still. You were discharged after your contract with the Marine Corps expired and you refused to reenlist. You have the rank of Corporal. You've been a freelance security contractor for only a year. Any idea for a callsign? All mercs have one." Shepard explained, as she linked up her omnitool to James' allowing transfer of the identification.

"Awesome. I'll think of one." James replied as Doctor Chakwas walked over to them.

"James, dear, the gene mods and vaccination are ready, if you want to take it." She said.

He followed her into the med-bay as Shepard left to go see Joker.

James sat down on the bed where he woke up from earlier, after stripping down his armour temporarily, in a more accepting disposition. He placed his weapons on the table where his old clothing was also. He watched as Chakwas prepared the syringes. "These are all taken intravenously, so lie down, if choose so." She said.

James closed his eyes as the syringes punctured his skin as the vaccinations and gene mods were applied to him. His shoulders became numb from the repeated action. He got dizzy for a few seconds as the effects attached to his body. "There, all done. You can go meet up with Shepard and the rest. They're at the bridge with Joker, our pilot."

James walked by a load of Alliance personnel as he figured out the map function on his omnitool. He got looks from every single one of them, but none of them talked to him. Eventually, he found the bridge. He also got glances from Alenko and Williams.

"Haha, you look like you completely belong in this time, Vaccarelli." Kaidan commented. Ashley nodded in agreement.

James finally got a good look at Alenko and Williams. Before, he just gave them glances and didn't really bother to register their faces in his head. Kaidan had black slicked back hair and a stern face. Ashley carried an air of determination in her demeanour, her hair also up in a bun.

"So, this is the Time-Jumper? Yeah, his hairstyle gave it away." Joker said in his usual sarcastic tone.

"Wow, being a pilot make you a slick talker? How long you been preparing that line?" James retorted immediately. The trio next to them laughed at the exchange. Joker just grunted in response, thinking_ I think I'm gonna like this guy._

"I'm all good with the shots and all, Commander." James told her as he stood idle.

"I see you're armed too. You're really living up to your cover." Ashley said as she crossed her hands over her chest.

"Yes, Chief. I can't wait to see this Citadel I've been hearing so much about." James told her as he turned to look at the viewport which revealed the star-filled void. It caused James to look in wonder at the sight. "Commander, I believe you. I'm real sorry for not believing the first time."

"It's alright, James. I would've probably reacted the same."

"The Commander has brought us all up to speed with your cover. It's good. Just follow our lead and don't wander off while we're in the station, okay?" Alenko said to him.

"Yes, Lieutenant." James replied.

"You really don't have to refer to our ranks, you know?" Ashley chimed in.

"It's my cover, right? Former Alliance? And I can't shake it off, Chief. It's my habit." James admitted. Alenko and Williams agreed.

"Citadel control, this is the SSV Normandy requesting…" Joker trailed off as he relayed his usual lines to dock.

"James, look outside." Shepard said with a beaming smile to him.

"Holy shit." James uttered as he watched the Citadel on the near horizon, its five arms jutted out, giving the appearance of a folded cartoonish star. It was floating in the middle of nebula and ships passed back and forth through the space between the void and the station. They started getting closer and James was completely in awe.

"James, do you have a callsign chosen? I need to register it to the Merc database so we can officially 'hire' you, before we dock."

As he stood in wonder, he recalled the article he read about his unit, 3rd Battalion, Fifth Marines. In honour of his past life, and to maintain a hold into it in his new world, he thought of the perfect alias to use, a reference to his former unit's 21st century nickname. Now here he was, in a different time, clad in a desert camouflaged hardsuit, his old Ka-bar in magnetised sheath on the left side of his chest, a rifle on his back, and a pistol on his hip.

"James?" Shepard asked once more as she activated her omnitool.

"The Darkhorse." He announced.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Howdy do. Here's a longer chapter than usual. And by the way, I do read reviews and take to heart any gripe and comments. I do my best to end up integrating them into the story.

Disclaimer: No money is made and everything, but my OC, belongs to BioWare.

* * *

**_Any Bonds Today?_**

James couldn't take his eyes off the sprawling urban centre in the middle of space. As the Normandy docked, he stood still in one place, blocking every other sense except for his sight. It took Shepard a few nudges to finally get his attention.

"You okay there, James?" She asked as she tapped his shoulder once more.

He sighed, turned around and said, "Yeah. This is one hell of a view."

James faced the viewport again as the Normandy fully stopped, failing to hear Shepard's "Yeah, it is."

Ashley and Kaidan finally came back from the cargo bay, fully equipped in their hardsuits, with their respective weapons magnetised on their backs and hips. It was weird to Ashley seeing someone so remarkably entranced with something that she saw often. Kaidan somewhat understood, but couldn't help feeling the same way as they both watched James' interest in the space station. He was leaning against the viewport to get as much viewing range as possible. Every ten seconds or so, he would ask certain questions about how humans would be able to breathe, how they would manage to not float off. Kaidan answered them all, much to the satisfaction of James.

When Shepard left the cockpit to get geared up, Captain Anderson approached Joker. He stated that a 24-hour shore leave was to be given once he steps off board, and that to leave a skeleton crew to manage things on ship. He then faced James' back and asked, "How are you holding up, son?"

"I'm great, Captain." He said. "I can't believe I'm about to step foot on a space station." He added a light laugh.

"Vaccinations and gene mods working alright?"

"Doc says I'm all squared away, Captain."

Anderson nodded in approval and looked to speak to Kaidan and Ashley, who were waiting for Shepard to get changed. "You two will come with Shepard and I to the embassies. Ambassador Udina is about to come to a meeting with the Council. We're most likely going to discuss what happened with the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime and what Saren was doing there. They might ask you two questions, they might not. Just be smart about it."

The two nodded. "Yes, sir," they said in unison.

"We'll also be—" Anderson's attention then shifted to James, who's head was shaking, his eyes fluttering.

"Vaccarelli, what's going on?"

He couldn't respond, soon his whole body started to shake uncontrollably as well.

_At the mention of the word Prothean, his vision vanished, replaced by a planet, a world on fire. A green aura shielded the rock, slowly fading away, replaced by a dark red beam from the sky. A massive fleet of gargantuan metallic creatures swoop down on the burning planet, red beams making constant contact to its surface. What seemed like derelict ships get torn, sliced in half before proceeding to descent, burning in the planet's atmosphere._

_Another flash occurs, this time he's on the ground, he wasn't sure where, but he guessed that it was the same planet he watched burn earlier. He looks up at the sky and stands in terror as the metallic giants float down, with an ominous din of a mechanical groan. It fires a red beam, quickly moving out his path and he screams, "AHHHH!" He watches as his limbs burn, his skin falling off. He felt his eyes melting, crying in pain, as he dies._

"Vaccarelli!" Anderson said loudly as he watched James start to stagger, his face becoming pale.

James blinked twice as the vision disappeared. He was greeted with the face of Anderson's inquiring face. He felt the blood drain out of his head as he struggled to maintain his balance. "I- I saw…" Was all he could say as he collapsed to the deck.

Shepard saw the event happen from across the CIC. She rushed forward, asking what happened. Other crew members found it a bit puzzling to see the Commander suddenly act out in distress.

"He started shaking and passed out. Come on, take Williams with you and bring him to the med bay. Probably just his body reacting to his gene mods." Anderson said calmly as he knelt down to pick up James' arm. "Williams, stay with him and if he's good when he wakes up, take him to us in the embassy. Shepard, return here once you drop him off. Udina just messaged me. The Council is ready to speak with us."

* * *

A ringing noise reverberated in his hearing when he opened his eyes. He was back in a bed, he presumed. _Must be one heck of a dream._ At first, he wondered if that was really a dream, being in space, watching the ship he was in dock on a station in the stars. He soon realised that it wasn't a dream as he heard Williams' voice. He didn't recognise what she had said, he was still getting his sense of hearing back when he saw Williams' hand wave over his face. _I guess it really is true._ "Wow, catatonic? I thought you guys were supposed to be hardcore." Williams snidely commented, not recognising the fact that James have managed to hear her now.

"What did they teach you? You guys just hid in mud. That's nothing compared to being stranded in zero-g with a depleting oxygen tank." She continued, she just let her annoyance with James having to be treated specially come out of her mouth, not really thinking. She was adverse with any kind of special treatment; this kind of thinking came from a series of _failures_ in her family's military history.

"You've only fought other humans, not geth or some reconstructed humans. Yeah, you're a time jumper, but nothing else is that remarkable about you. What else did the Marine Corps teach you in your time?" She continued her rant.

James listened to every word she said. He didn't move, not even blinking. He didn't move his eyes. He tried to understand why she would possibly say those things, but failed to come up with any reasonable explanation. She kept on going, bringing things up that made him think about his buddies, the war, and how hopeless he felt. He finally had enough when she sarcastically commented on the severities of casualties.

"Chief, the Marine Corps taught me how to kill Japs and I got really, _really_ good at it." He hissed, shooting her a look of extreme resentment.

Ashley nearly jumped out of her place as she immediately became red with embarrassment.

"When I landed on Peleliu, I had 15 good friends that I talked and shared lives with. By the end of that year, only one remained. I watched corpsmen open up a cave to find one of my buddies with his dick in his mouth, his head caved in, his body filled with punctures, and his arms broken in four angles. A week after that, we found another buddy of mine with his throat packed with mud and his eyes being feasted on by fucking maggots." James snarled, his face filled with anger, shaking as he recalled.

"When we were in Okinawa and heard that the war in Europe was over, we DIDN'T feel shit. We didn't know what we were going to do when we got home. I killed civilians who were fleeing! It was so dark, it's been raining for days we couldn't figure out who were the shooters in the distance! I shot a fucking kid! We couldn't care less if the war was over, I just wanted to go home. I didn't give a shit on orders anymore. I just wanted it done." He held his hand in a tight fist, his nails started to dig into his skin.

Ashley felt herself sink into her seat, completely wishing that she didn't say anything. She couldn't even look James in the eyes.

James sat up, his anger slowly fading away. "I know I'm fucked up, but I still want to go home, and I can't even do that now, can I?"

They finally settled in an awkward silence, with James trying to calm himself down. Ashley was thinking of a way to apologise. She didn't expect to hear that kind of experience. She felt utterly embarrassed to even think of saying those comments. James just hung his head low as he sat on the edge of his bed, his back facing Ashley. His hands were still shaking, he tried playing it off by wiggling it around, to no avail.

"Sorry, Vaccarelli. I…" Ashley breathed in. "I didn't know. I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

She looked for any form of response from him, but received nothing in return. She felt even worse.

Doctor Chakwas then appeared in the doorway, missing the entire exchange of the two. "Ah, you're awake again." She said, making James face her. "Your gene mods are working just fine and your vaccinations assimilated properly, so it makes me wonder why you'd lose consciousness."

James remembered his disturbing vision. He told it to the doctor, who then listened intently. "Shepard had a similar experience, I wonder if the two are related. Are you feeling okay?" She asked.

He nodded in return.

The Doctor continued on to perform her usual routine checks following a brief unconscious period. She tested his blood, his eyesight, the works, but found nothing in error. She amounted James' passing out to recovery from extreme fatigue. She thought about the possibility of hunger, but threw it aside when James admitted that he ate with Shepard earlier.

"Well, if any other complications rise up, don't hesitate to tell me. Your weapons are right there." She pointed at the same table where his tattered clothes now remained folded. James got up and proceeded to attach his weapons on their places.

"Got it, Doctor. Captain says I have to take him to the embassy as soon as he wakes up." Ashley stated, finally standing up from her seat.

"I understand. Anything odd happens, tell me, right away. We don't know what the effect of sudden cultural shock or… time travel might give him." She said, sounding like a concerned mother hen.

As James and Ashley stepped out of the med bay, Doctor Chakwas sat down on her terminal and opened up James' medical file. She updated it to the most recent way possible and added the unsettling vision. When she finished, she wondered about what could've caused that hallucination of sorts. She had a theory and thought it was outlandish, but then realised that she's referring to a person that jumped across time. The Doctor wrote it down as a possible effect of the time travel and seeing as there's no other recorded subject about the topic, she suggested that James be observed, to be examined periodically and see if more could be learnt from the occurrence. She typed up her report and theory, saved the original, and sent a copy to Captain Anderson.

The two made their way up to the CIC, without even sharing a word. The centre of the ship was now only occupied by at least eight crew members, one of them was playing a game on his screen. Their boots emitted a mechanical repetitiveness as they moved down the gangway leading to the bridge. James was entirely silent and Ashley felt guilty for what she had done. The airlock hissed open and they stepped in. Ashley booted up her omnitool and sent a message to Commander Shepard and Captain Anderson, telling them that they are on their down to C-Sec academy.

_"Matching interior pressure with exterior atmosphere."_

James watched as the walls wheeze a fine white mist as the hatch in front of him opened. He stood a few feet away from the Chief, not sure if he should accept her apology just yet. When she started to walk forward and out onto the walkway.

As soon as they moved out of the shade of the Normandy, the Citadel's bright lights and stars from all around the Serpent Nebula shone down on his left cheek. He immediately stopped moving and faced the scenic overlook. He also stood in awe of the SSV Normandy's exterior appearance. Its sleek polished silvers complimented it's darkly schemed _wings_. He felt tears making their way out of his eyes, but he held it back. Other space vessels moved about on the Citadel's other four arms, gliding in and out of the lights of the metropolis. He clasped his hands together as he took in every single detail.

Ashley was about to press the button to call the lift when she realised that James had stopped to look at the view. She observed him for a little while before walking up to him, leaning forward next to him on the railing that he leaned on. "What's on your mind, Vaccarelli?" She started, her tone friendly.

James didn't say anything at first, he was, once more, shocked by the surreal situation he now found himself in. "How far away am I from Earth?" He muttered.

"Not sure, but I think about dozens of light years away." Ashley replied.

James thought about that for a second. He felt completely alone at that exact moment, regardless of how many people he just met or about to meet. "I'm trillions and trillions of miles away from home then." James mumbled.

Ashley remained quiet this time around. No comments, no snide remarks. For once, she saw how terrible this deal must be for him. She mentally scolded herself for being erratic and short-sighted.

* * *

"This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!" Udina grunted. For a man well past his middle age, he still had the fire of a ranting teenager. He combed through his thinning white hair as he waited for a response from the holographic figures of the Council.

"The turians don't fund colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador." A hooded salarian, Councillor Valern, coolly replied.

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you moved into the Traverse." A face-painted asari, Councillor Tevos, added.

Udina gave the Council an annoyed look. "What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre, I demand action!" He ranted.

"You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador." The turian councillor, Sparatus, responded with a demeaning tone.

"Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing, not before." Councillor Tevos calmly stated.

With that, the holographic displays of the Council vanished, leaving only the emitters glowing inactive. Ambassador Udina scowled at the treatment he just received. He turned around, seeing three figures standing behind him.

"Captain Anderson, I see you've brought almost all your crew with you." He said sarcastically.

"Just two of the ground team from Eden Prime, in case you had any questions." Captain Anderson responded, ignoring the ambassador's tone.

Udina sized up the two quickly, scanning their figures. "I have the mission reports, I assume they're accurate?"

"They are. Sounds like you managed the Council to give us an audience."

"They're not happy about it. Saren's their top agent. Him being accused of treason doesn't paint the Spectres a good picture."

Shepard just had to interject at this.

"He's dangerous, plain and simple. He's a threat to every human colony out there. He needs to be stopped, the Council has to listen!" She snapped.

Udina then glared at her. "Settle down, Commander. You've already done more than enough to jeopardise your candidacy for the Spectres." He remarked. "The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done and instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed!"

Shepard resisted every urge to give Udina one quick jab to the throat.

"That was Saren's fault! Not hers!" Anderson interfered.

"Then we better hope things go our way. Otherwise, the Council might use this as a reason to exclude you out of the Spectres." Udina started to talk to the human embassy's door. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepard, you and whoever you choose to bring can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in."

Udina stepped out of the embassy, leaving Anderson behind. He faced the two as he took one step out of the doorway. "Go and pick up Williams and Vaccarelli from C-Sec academy before heading up." He then left to catch up with Udina.

"You see why I don't dabble in politics, Lieutenant?" Shepard jokingly asked Kaidan.

"Yes, ma'am." He said as walked out of the embassy with her.

* * *

Ashley was telling James about the alien races he will see once the lift reaches ground level. James imagination was littered with the drawn up faces as described by her, he found it somewhat odd that most of these Citadel races would be humanoid. Despite what the science fiction books told him, he always imagined alien life to be _alien._ Unrecognisable by human standards and knowledge. He asked about the krogan, which he found amusing since the first word that came to his mind when he heard the description was 'dinosaur.' It was followed by an inquiry about the asari, which he then commented as being 'the mothers of the galaxy,' based on their mono-gendered physiology and role in intergalactic politics. He kept on asking more and more questions, an attempt to relax himself and to not freak out when he would finally see these races.

_"Ding!"_

The lift's door opened upwards and James set his eyes immediately on the turian right outside, waiting for them to leave. He stared at the avian-like humanoid, its hind legs, leathery facial mandibles, and three talon-esque fingers on its hands. The turian seemed to scowl at James as he kept his eyes on the alien. Williams tapped James on the shoulder and told him to move, because the turian was waiting to use the lift.

"What's the matter, first time you've seen a good-looking turian?" It said as its mandibles flapped slightly. His tone twanged with an accompanying reverberation.

"He just woke up from amnesia, officer." Ashley explained to the apparent C-Sec personnel.

James' mouth was agape as they stepped out of the lift. The turian sighed and pressed a button, James watched the doors close, his eyes still trained on the alien. "H-how can he speak English? How was I able to understand him?" He stammered, confused and amazed.

Ashley held back a chuckle as he watched him turned to a stupefied mess. "It's your omnitool; quantum feedback allows translation of registered languages at the speed of light."

She wasn't sure if he heard her as by the time she finished her explanation, James was already looking at an asari and a salarian conversing. She couldn't stifle her amusement any longer and held a big grin as she watched James move his head back and forth, looking at the multiple alien races he now saw.

Shepard walked down from the stairs from the Presidium lift and immediately took notice of James' curiosity as he turned his head from one direction to the other. She too, couldn't help but be amused by the sight. She finally said something when she caught Ashley looking at James, who was staring at an asari fiddling with her omnitool in a corner.

"They're beautiful, huh?" Shepard chimed.

"They really are something. What's that on their heads? And why do they look so human?" He wondered aloud.

"I have never asked an asari. Why won't you ask her? And I don't know, galaxy just loves to put down diversity, I suppose." Shepard said, smirking.

"Talk to her? Ah, what the hell." James stated, surrendering to his overbearing curiosity.

Shepard was about to stop him, to tell him it was joke, but decided to let him go on with it. She thought it was best if his first alien exchange was on his own terms. He seemed adaptable and now it looked like he was doing so. Shepard turned to Ashley and filled her in with what occurred at the embassy. They kept checking on James' contact with the asari, however.

James considered a few ways on how to approach the light-blue asari. He took notice of what she was wearing. It appeared like a traditional slim fit, sleeved gown, but with wide holes on the back and forearms. The colours were mostly iridescent; a smooth shine painted the surface. The asari was evidently very feminine in appearance. He was nervous, but curious, and it kept him going. Before he can properly decide on what to do, his mouth already opened, "Hi, I'm a university student from Mars and I'm just doing a little research on Citadel races. I'm Jay, may I ask you a few questions, Miss..?" _What the fuck did you just say, James? Mars?_ He thought.

The asari looked up and transferred her attention to the human in a hardsuit. He had three different weapons, one on his back, and another on his hip, and a blade in a magnetised sheath on his upper left chest. "Do university students always carry firearms and wear armour?" She said with grace.

James had three seconds to come up with a half-assed answer. "I'm embedded with an Alliance transport. They said it was protocol." He spoke, his voice filled with false bravado.

The asari gave him an unconvinced, but interested look before answering. "My name is Avanti. What would you like to ask?" She replied, her tone, friendly.

His face lit up at the response. He was actually conversing with an alien. All of it seemed like a dream conjured by science-fiction stories, he was _conversing with an alien._ "I'm new to seeing other races, so I just have to ask, what's that fringe on your head?"

Avanti seemed to be a little surprised by the question. She gave him a light chuckle before replying. "It's semi-flexible cartilages. They're rigid. They don't flop around." She cheerily said as her arms moved about as she described it. "I would say that they are the equivalent of the human scalp." She added, softly giggling. She felt at ease with, what she thought, the charming human. She happily obliged to answer whatever questions he followed up with.

From a few feet away, Ashley took notice of the asari's rapport with James. She was in surprise as she said, "Oh my god, is he flirting with her?"

Shepard and Kaidan turned to see what Ashley was looking at and they too, thought the same. The asari was smiling, and giggling as James conversed with her. She was even lightly touching his arm from time to time as she laughed to whatever they discussed. "Oh, man." Kaidan marvelled.

James continued on talking with her for a good five minutes before he ran out of questions. He quickly glanced behind him to see if Shepard and company were still there. They were, and all of them were holding an amused expression.

"Well, I've got to run, Miss Avanti. It was nice meeting you, maybe I'll come across you again." He offered out his hand. He wasn't even sure if handshaking was also a custom to asari culture.

Avanti knew basic human customs and shook his hand firmly. "I'm pretty sure you will, I'm an intern here in C-Sec." She told him. "It was nice to meet you too." She beamed him a smile as James turned around to meet up with his group.

When James approached the three, he was greeted with a series of amused looks. "What?" He asked them.

"So how did it go?" Shepard asked him, her arms were crossed against her chest.

"Ritzy. Real swell to talk to an alien. She's nice too." He said with a smile.

"How did you manage to talk to a complete stranger, a first alien conversation too, with full confidence?" Kaidan asked him as he furrowed his eyebrows and forehead.

"I, uh," James thought of a way to describe his ability to approach a strange situation. "I was a stage actor in a drama class for my whole time in high school. I guess the acting skill came in handy." He truthfully said. Not one of his former buddies in the Marines knew he performed as an elective.

"You do know that she was probably attracted to you?" Ashley smirked.

"What are you talking about, Chief?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Shepard just laughed it off and proceeded to bring the three to the Presidium.

* * *

"You know, I'm probably going to keep seeing this kinda views and every time I would always be in awe." James commented as he watched flying cars speed by above them.

The Presidium was covered in greens. Botanical life from different parts of the galaxy brought the place alive, hundreds of people from multiple species moved on about the financial district as Shepard thought best to give James a small tour of the Presidium. James was getting comfortable in his new world; he actively exchanged pleasantries with a random by passer. Kaidan, Ashley, and Shepard noticed this too, and were glad that he was assimilating smoothly, instead of being bombarded with culture shock.

For Shepard, it was fulfilling to see a shell-shocked Marine to be this giddy about everything he was coming across. Ashley told him of what happened in the med bay earlier and she thought of reprimanding her, but dropped the idea when she realised that she didn't know what James had gone through in a war erroneously considered to be "a walk through a candy-store" compared to modern engagements in their time.

When they arrived at the Citadel Tower, James was indeed, still mesmerised by the architecture, though this time, Shepard and the rest shared that feeling. All of them have never stepped foot in the Tower. "Wow, so this is the centre of galactic politics, huh?" Ashley mentioned.

Shepard agreed, as well as Kaidan. James only listened to their ramblings as they pressed on forward down the hallway.

"Saren's a threat and you know it!" One turian in blue armour said to another turian.

"No, I don't know. There is no evidence. This is pointless, Garrus. Why don't you go back to being a C-Sec officer like the rest?" The other turian replied as he faced away.

Garrus remained quiet as the turian left for the lift. He saw that Shepard's crew overheard the exchange. "I hope you have some good evidence, Shepard." He said to her.

"You don't like Saren?" She asked him.

"It's not just that. Saren's a loose cannon. He hides behind his Spectre status every time he does something illegal." Garrus replied with complete confidence.

James looked at the tall turian. He was about seven feet tall and commanded an authoritative aura. "You're willing to prosecute another turian?" James asked. The dynamics of actual racial issues were new to him.

"I could care less if he's a vorcha. Someone keeps doing illegal activities, I aim to see them locked up." Garrus affirmed. "You better head on up, Shepard. Good luck. I hope you do better than I did."

Shepard acknowledged the C-Sec officer's remark and headed towards the staircase opposite them, on the other end of the enormous chamber. Captain Anderson was near the top flight and beckoned to Shepard when he saw them.

"Shepard, glad you can make it. You just got here on time. How's Vaccarelli?" He said as he walked alongside Shepard's group.

"He's fine, no concrete explanation as to why he fell unconscious. You sure we got here on time, Captain?" Shepard told and asked, referring to overhearing a heated exchange further up the stairs.

"They just started. Come on."

When Anderson and Shepard's squad reached the top, they were faced with the Council, in the flesh, standing behind three podiums in what seemed like a congregation hall. They were atop a glass-covered garden, and across it was Udina on a small stage, a platform at the end of the path that Shepard's squad walked from. The ambassador's arms were crossed, with his right hand scuffing his chin as the asari councillor spoke.

"The geth attack is in fact, a matter of concern, but there is absolutely no evidence of Saren's involvement." She said in a rather calm, soothing tone.

Shepard already didn't like where the hearing was headed.

"The investigation conjured by the Citadel Security amounted to no evidence to support charges of treason." Councillor Sparatus added with a grumbling voice.

"What of the eyewitness that saw him shoot Nihlus in cold blood?" Udina snapped, a prominent look of angry dissatisfaction on his face.

"We've read the report, Ambassador. The ramblings of an evidently traumatised dock worker are hardly enough to be even considered evidence." The salarian councillor chimed.

A hologram of another turian to the side of the hall lit up as it spoke. "I deny these accusations. Nihlus was my friend. And a good Spectre." He said without any emotion.

James shot the hologram a look and his vision started to get fuzzy once more as the turian's face became real. This time, he managed to keep his footing and consciousness as a quick series of thoughts and images filled his mind. No one, but Shepard noticed as his eyes fluttered inside his closed eyes. _Those cybernetics are not of Citadel space origin. And he's lying._ When the short vision ended, James found himself asking how he could possibly know that, when he hasn't even met the turian. He chalked it up to a rabid imagination fuelled by his recent experience with meeting other alien races. James continued on listening. Shepard took note of this and thought to bring it up later.

"That just let you catch him off guard! You shot him!" Anderson grunted at the hologram.

"Ah, Captain Anderson. Why am I not surprised that you would be involved in these accusations humanity has against me?" Saren's hologram snidely said. There was something in his inflection that brought ire in Shepard's and James' ears. "This must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. Lone survivor of Akuze. Puny. She's the one that destroyed the beacon."

Shepard could no longer hold back and stepped forward, pointing a finger at Saren. "It was all you! How else would you know that!?" She shouted at the hologram. "It was a classified mission, no one else knew of our reason for being in Eden Prime!"

"When Nihlus passed, his files were passed on to me, his trusted friend." Saren responded albeit with a slight amusement creeping on his tone. "It comes as no surprise that humanity's failures would be blamed on somebody else. Typical. You're not ready to be in the Traverse, nor you being inducted into the Spectres."

"He has no right to say that! It's not his place to make that decision!" Udina fired at the Council.

"This hearing's subject is of Saren's so-called involvement with the geth attack on Eden Prime, not Shepard's process in joining the Spectres." The turian councillor lowly grumbled.

"This meeting is a waste of time. I will not stand idly while insults are hurled in my way. I move for the dismissal of charges immediately." Saren's hologram faced the Council.

Shepard's heart raced as she took in the obvious ordeal of Saren being protected by the three powerful galactic figureheads. "This isn't right, he's hiding behind his position as a Spectre! You can't just let this slide!" She barked at the Council.

"Unless you show concrete proof of his apparent involvement, we are letting this slide." Councillor Valern, the salarian, announced quite smoothly.

"There's still another matter. What of the vision that Shepard saw when she interacted with the beacon?" Anderson asked the Council.

The hologram of Saren offered an unsatisfactory grunt. "A dream? A dream as evidence? How can I possibly defend myself against such a ridiculous notion?"

"I agree. Our judgement must be based on solid, prominent evidence." The turian councillor said. "Not the wild imaginings and reckless speculations of an emotionally compromised human. And that, we have evidence on."

Shepard glared at Councillor Sparatus. She couldn't believe that her survival in Akuze would be referred to. The three council members studied the group of humans before them, examining their reactions to the results of the hearing. Councillor Tevos, the asari, broke the silence.

"Ambassador, your petition to have Saren's Spectre status has been revoked. We find that there isn't any sufficient evidence to support your claims." She explained. "This meeting is adjourned."

"Of course. As if there was ever any doubt." Saren's hologram then vanished as the rest of the Council walked away from their podiums.

Udina pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched the Council leave. He turned and faced Shepard's group who all looked disappointed at the outcome. He fixed his eyes on James, who was wearing non-Alliance, desert camouflaged armour. "Who's this?" He asked Shepard.

"A contractor. There's not a lot of combat-ready and ground mission specialist crew members aboard the Normandy. He came highly recommended, and he's cheap." Shepard said, shooting James a look, a sign to get ready to play the cover.

"You didn't give me a name." Udina pressed.

"Hello, I'm the Darkhorse." James said with a different tone, a mix of unsettling glee and utter confidence.

Udina grunted quietly, booted his omnitool and ran a quick check on James' cover. "Corporal, honourably discharged, protected diplomats on Earth. Hm, I don't see what's so remarkable…" Udina said as he scrolled down his file. "Survived and completed a presumably botched raid on drug smugglers in the Saharan desert." He finished, not thoroughly impressed.

"That's not all. Keep looking." Shepard told him, wanting to get Udina convinced on James' _importance._

Udina's eyes widened as he read the second part of the Darkhorse's file. "57 military bounties claimed. All dead or alive offers, and you killed them all." He finished, his tone now more impressed. "Very well. Back to the matter at hand."

Shepard gave James a quick smile as the cover worked.

"That was a disaster. I'm surprised they didn't take out your candidacy for Spectres entirely." Udina grumbled while looking at Shepard, who gave him a scowl in response.

"That's not the point, Ambassador. We need to provide the Council with evidence against Saren." Anderson interfered, not liking Udina's agendas.

"Maybe we should have a talk with the C-Sec officer, Garrus?" Kaidan suggested.

"Yes, it would be wise to do that." Udina surrendered. "I also have a contact in C-Sec, his name is Harkin. He's probably at Chora's Den. He'd know where to find your turian."

"Harkin's a drunk and an ass," Anderson reacted to the mention of the low life's name. "But I suppose it wouldn't be a loss to speak to him. There's also Barla Von, an information broker, he's in the financial district."

"Very well, that's all settled. Anderson, come with me. We have more things to discuss." Udina motioned for the Captain, who then followed him down the staircase and out of the hearing range of Shepard's group.

Her squad also started to head down the grand staircase, they decided that their first course of action was to speak to Harkin, one of the humans with the oldest working record with C-Sec. "You two head on to Chora's Den, wait for us at the entrance, I need to speak with James in private." Shepard said to the other two squad members. They acknowledged the order and accessed the Citadel Rapid Transport, waiting for a cab.

"What's going on, Commander?" James asked her as they slowed their steps.

"You froze and your eyes moved liked crazy when you looked at Saren. What's up? You looked like you were about to pass out. Come to think of it, is this related to your earlier incident?" Shepard asked back clearly and with interest.

James thought about it for a second, the causes or triggers. "Well, when I saw Saren, I don't know, something happened to my sight, then a thought came to my head saying that those metal snazzy stuffs attached to him ain't Citadel space legal and that he's on the square." He explained. "And earlier, when the Captain said prothean, I got flashed with this planet burning, giant insect robot machines… and me getting burned by I guess a laser beam."

Shepard looked at him in slight disbelief, but then made an instant image. "Wait, describe that robot machine better." She said, stopping in her tracks.

"Uh, damn. I guess, uh, like a giant dark squid with tentacles." James replied to her, finding it hard to describe the foreign image.

"We just saw one at Eden Prime, Saren's ship. There's a chance that the two might be connected." Shepard admitted to James. "If anything like this happens again, tell me, okay? Just me and no one else."

He looked in her eyes first before nodding his head.

They continued walking and used the lift to get to the Presidium where they would use the CRT to Chora's Den. Shepard figured to take this longer path as a means to keep talking to James.

"Williams told me what happened earlier. Are you alright?" She asked him in a sincere tone.

"I'm all silk. It's just, I blew up. I didn't expect that." He answered weakly.

"I understand. Same thing happened to me when someone did that." Shepard spoke.

"Same thing? Is this about Akuze? What happened, if you don't mind me asking?" James inquired, though unsure if it was right to ask her.

Shepard concluded that she would eventually have to tell the incident to him, too many people kept bringing it up and with what she's noticed, James was a very attentive person. She directed him to a bench next to the lift they just exited and they sat down. "There's no rush, anyway," Shepard said. She sighed at first, and then started to give her harrowing story. If she knew of James' experiences in the Second World War, she thought it would help him feel less of an outsider if she shared hers with him.

"Akuze was a colony on the edge of Alliance space. It was in the early stages of being colonised, actually. One day the whole colony just went dark. We couldn't contact the pioneer team. A unit of two platoons were sent in and I was in command of one, was only a lieutenant back then." She said as her lips quivered. "We came across a settlement and it seemed that the colonists just up and went. Nothing was disturbed. It was 2200 that time, and we decided to camp out for the night." Shepard gulped, recalling what happened next.

"Thresher maws, gargantuan serpentine creatures that could reach 30 to 40 metres off the ground, attacked us. We were on top of a nest. Three thresher maws tore through the two platoons. Marines were swallowed by the ground, dissolved by acid spit. I didn't react properly and just ran when I realised that it was impossible to fight a thresher maw on foot, let alone three. I just ran and ran as I radioed for an exfil. I almost got crushed by a Mako thrown by a thresher." Shepard caught her breath, looking off into the distance. "I ended up on the hills and I watched the remainder of my unit get sucked into the ground, screaming. The LZ was two klicks deeper into the hills. I was the only who made it. We circled around the settlement in a shuttle, but everyone was gone. Even the thresher maws." She paused for a bit.

This time, it was James who put his hand on Shepard's. She let it stay there.

"When I got back, I was hailed as a hero, gave me a medal and used me as an instrument to boost recruitment and funding for the Alliance. It worked. Fifty marines died and I became an advertisement on the pursuit of survival of the human race." Shepard sarcastically scoffed. "After multiple psychiatric evaluations, I was back in circulation. Everyone was referring to me as the Sole Survivor of Akuze, as if that is something to be glorified. They'd never understand." She finished her story, watching the crowd of diplomats, C-Sec officers, and civilians move about.

James kept her hand in his grasp; he too was looking off to the distance, lost in thought. "Yeah. Civilians never would." James glanced at the number of passers-by in the Presidium. "To them every veteran is the same, regardless of their experience. Could've been behind a desk, or out in the front line, didn't matter. Everyone is a hero. I saw that before I enlisted." James whispered, but loud enough for Shepard to hear.

James then snapped out of his melancholic chain of thought and rubbed Shepard's hand before letting it go. "Come on, Commander, you have a Spectre that needs to be shut down." He said in a motivating tone. Shepard saw where James was coming from and relented.

They both got up and started to walk to CRT terminal. Shepard hailed a taxi, which had a human driver. "Lower wards, near Chora's Den, please." Shepard told the man before closing the panel for privacy.

Things were quiet for a while, until James asked Shepard something. "Why did you make my cover story so… colourful?" He was unable to find a proper description. "57 bounties, all dead."

Shepard gave him a soft laugh. "Well, I thought that if we'd have a mercenary on board the SSV Normandy, he'd have to be very good at what he does." She explained.

They conversed about other trivialising subjects before the taxi stopped in the lower markets, not far from Chora's Den.

They walked down a small corridor that would lead to the entrance of the bar and nightclub that Kaidan and Ashley were waiting on. "You know, you keep calling me Commander or Shepard and I keep calling you James. If it's just the two of us, you know you can call me Leanna, right? I think we're close enough to be friends on a first name basis." She told James as they climbed down a short flight of stairs.

"Yeah, Commander Leanna." James responded jokingly.

They crossed the 'alleyway' and now climbed the other set of stairs that would end up to Chora's Den.

"Leanna, thanks. I appreciate it. If I'd have a friend in this new life, I'd like it if she was, I guess, almost as fucked up as me."

She gave him a content smile as a door opened with Williams and Alenko on the other side.

* * *

**References: **How I Met Your Mother, Doctor Who, Firefly, Black Hawk Down, Flags of our Fathers, The Pacific, and Chuck.

"**Any Bonds Today?**" is a song written by Irving Berlin. It was featured in a WWII animated propaganda film that starred Bugs Bunny. My favourite rendition was the one sung by the Andrews Sisters.


End file.
